Catholic Gateway Course Ss. Mary & Joseph Church – Thursday, November 19, 2009 – Week 6.

Catholic Gateway CourseSs. Mary & Joseph Church – Thursday, November 19, 2009 – Week

6

Catholic Prayer and Spirituality

What is prayer? What is spirituality?

What are different ways that Catholic pray?

What are some of the different kinds or schools of spirituality?

What is Prayer?

Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God, or the petition of good things from him in accord with his will.

It is always the gift of God who comes to encounter man.

Christian prayer is the personal and living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is infinitely good, with his Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit who dwells in their hearts.

(CCCC #534)

Different Types of Prayer

Personal

Devotional

GroupLiturgical

Different Types of Prayer

These are not exclusive groupings, but simply a presentation of the wide palate of prayer activities and prayer styles.

Think of approaching this palate as one would try to have a balanced diet of food All of these prayer types complement

one another Something may be missing in the

spiritual life if one or more ‘prayer groups’ are missing.

Personal Prayer Prayer can take place in any place,

at any time, using any words or none at all. Four Basic Types of Prayer

Praise/Adoration Sorrow/Contrition Petition/Intercession Thanksgiving

Trinitarian dimension: “to the Father, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit.”

Sovereignty of the Will of God

But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to

your Father which is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Matthew 6:6

Personal Prayer: Contemplative Prayer

Hans Urs von Balthasar… Das Betrachtende Gebet Prayer is dialogue in God’s language God speaks first, we try to make sense of it as God

teaches us how to speak. God’s Word is inexhaustible and eternally continues

to be uttered, even as we resort to prayer in our exhaustion and perhaps find frustration.

“I” and “Thou”… contemplation as looking into the depths of the soul where God is found, BUT prayer is more than self-fulfillment.

Prayer presupposes the Word of God within us… Mary as model of receptivity leading to spiritual possession.

The role of the Church is to stir us up, keep us fresh and challenged when the spiritual life becomes familiar.

Devotional Prayer de votum (Latin): of or relating

to a vow or the fulfillment of religious obligations

Often vocal form of prayer, often private, leads one into deeper reflection on the mysteries of the faith and paves the road for better practice of the other forms of prayer.

Done in communion with the rest of the Church, although often not explicitly so.

Examples ofDevotional Prayer

The Rosary… a series of formal prayers reflecting on the life of Jesus and Mary

Litanies… a series of prayers of intercession based on the saints or the mysteries of God.

Novenas… prayer or series of formal prayer said over nine days (weeks, months, etc)

Sacramentals… objects used as reminders of the holy

Scripture Reading… reading and studying the bible for purposes of prayer and inspiration

Pilgrimages… travel to holy sites or shrines for purposes of prayer and inspiration

Practices… such as fasting, abstinence, mortification, etc.

Devotional Prayer:The Rosary

The Rosary is a most popular Catholic devotion, arising out of history as a supplement (and sometimes alternative) to liturgical prayer.

Often attributed to St. Dominic, but his role was more one of being a champion of ‘revival’ than ‘invention’.

Usually found as 5 sets of 10 beads with a single large bead between the sets. Each bead represents a prayer.

Each set of beads is to be prayed with reflection on a particular mystery in the life of Christ or Mary.

Group Prayer Faith Sharing Groups

Cursillo, Koinonia, TEC, Legion of Mary, Altar Societies, St. Vincent DePaul societies, Dead Theologians Society, other local groups

Lay Orders/Apostolates Third Order Franciscans/Dominicans/etc,

Opus Dei, Regnum Christi, St. Vincent de Paul Society

Scripture Study/Prayer

Support Groups Caritas Christi, 12 steps

Spiritual Direction

“Where two or more are gathered in my name,

there am I also.”

Matthew 18:20

Liturgical Prayer Formal, public prayer of the

Church

“Liturgy” from the Greek leos = the people, public ergon = work

Often misunderstood as “work of the people”, better understood as “public works”

Sacred Liturgy (Mass) as source and summit of Christian prayer.

Liturgical Prayer Sacred Liturgy – The Mass

Liturgy of the Hours

Celebration of the Sacraments marriage, reconciliation, anointing, etc.

Blessings and Sacramentals Instituted by the Church to sanctify different

circumstances in life, to praise God and ask for his gifts.

Connects person/item/condition into the life and prayer of the entire Church

Next Week:Next Week:Christian Moral Reasoning